For most babies, nothing says bedtime like a nice story after being tucked in. If you find that you have a fussy, tired baby on your hands at bedtime, then odds are that you’re looking for an easy way to help baby ease into sleep. If you’ve already tried giving your little one a massage with baby lotion or singing to him or her, telling a bedtime story is another good option. Plus, it’s a great way to get some special bonding time with your baby away from the surroundings of your hectic lifestyle.

Bedtime Stories for Newborns

Newborns are just as likely to have sleeping issues as older babies, but finding ways to get them to calm down and get to sleep might be a little more difficult. Because newborns have sensitive skin, a baby massage with baby lotion might be out of the question, so you’ll have to find other ways to calm your baby before bedtime. One thing that often soothes newborns is the sound of their mother’s voice, and that’s why story time is just a great idea when you’re trying to get a newborn to sleep. No matter what story you choose, just the sound of your voice will be comforting to your newborn.

Bedtime Stories for Older Babies

When you’re dealing with older babies, you have a lot more options for trying to get them to lie down and drift off to sleep. You can try a baby massage with baby lotion, but adding story time to end of baby’s evening is a nice touch that your little one will love. For older babies, you can choose a nice book that has pictures, but you don’t want to overwhelm your little one with too much excitement just before bed. Just choose something that has a nice story and that you’ll be able to use later on when your baby starts to read on his or her own.

Making Up Your Own Stories

One of the best tips to abide by when telling bedtime stories to your baby is to make stories up on your own. If you’re reading to your baby from a book, that will be more than nice, but you won’t have to opportunity to caress or cuddle your baby while you do so. If you tell baby stories from memory, you’ll be able to hold him or her close at the same time, and this closeness and comfort will help your baby get to sleep much easier. Before you jump up to get the baby lotion and start a massage, give this type of storytelling a try before baby’s next bedtime, and see how much it can help your little one drift off to dreamland.